The present invention relates to a core material of a string for instruments and a string for instruments using the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a core material of a string for instruments, which is composed of a vinylidene fluoride resin and which can produce an excellent effect when used for a lower-pitched string of a violin or other instruments, and also relates to a string for instruments using such a core material.
A string for instruments such as a violin is composed of a core material and a metal wire tightly wound around the core material. Strings for instruments known at present are classified into several kinds according to the core material, and a gut string and a nylon string are mainly used as a violin string.
A gut string which produces an excellent timbre, is disadvantageous in that it requires a long time for tuning, and in that since it is very sensitive to humidity, it is apt to become out of tune and is also easily broken. In addition, since the guts of animals are used as a material of a gut string, there is a problem from the point of view of the protection of natural sources and the prevention of cruelty to animals. Furthermore, not only is a gut string expensive but also there is a fear of a shortage of materials of a gut string.
On the other hand, a nylon string has the following defects. Since a nylon string has a water absorption property, a change of the material with the passage of time is rather large, so that the nylon string is apt to become out of tune with the elapse of time, and tuning is difficult. In addition, when a nylon string absorbs water, it is difficult to produce a clear sound. Furthermore, since the vibrational energy of a nylon string is small, the sound produced has a small volume and lacks a deep timbre, in other words, the sound is apt to be monotonous.
The present inventors proposed a string for instruments which is composed of a monofilament of a vinylidene fluoride resin (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (KOKAI) No. 2-36958 (1990)). It had been confirmed as a result of careful analysis of complicated timbres of strings for instruments that the above-described monofilament which simultaneously satisfies various properties described in the Japanese KOKAI, are excellent as a higher-pitched string of a guitar.
However, the string for instruments proposed in the above-described Japanese KOKAI is not originally intended for a violin and the like. It is difficult to produce a violin string by winding a metal wire around the string for instruments described in Japanese KOKAI because the metal wire slips during the winding process. Even if the metal wire is managed to be wound around the string, the timber produced from such a string is so unsatisfactory that the string cannot be used as a lower-pitched string of a violin nor a guitar.
As a result of various studies undertaken by the present inventors, it has been found that by twisting of multifilaments of a vinylidene fluoride resin, the obtained twist satisfying specific properties can produce an excellent effect when used for a violin string and is useful for a lower-pitched string of a violin or a guitar. The present invention has been achieved on the basis of this finding.